The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-16
CoNFEDLRATE CASH.

What Became of 1t After the War-An Inter-
estins Interview with Gen. James Walker.
WASHINGTON Correspondents Atlanta Constitution.
The demand for certain confederate State
bonds which few years ago made them worth
$lS thousand gave rise to very genera! oeiieI
that there was in England considerable sum OF
money which had belonged to the dead govern
ment
There is no doubt that when the war closed
the Confederacy had money in England, in the
hands Of its agents and their bankers. What
became Of it, few days ago, in the course OF
conversation with Gen. James Walker, OF Vir-
ginia, heard some statements on this subject
which surprised me very much.
do not pretend to- give General Walkers ex.
act language, but / am confident that every
statement made by him is reported with sub
stantial accuracy. AS to Gen. James Walker
himself need say nothing to commend him to
credence. He is native of Missouri the son
of former Treasurer OF that State. He gradu-
ated with distinction at West Point and entered
the army about the time the Mexican war
began. In that ne was distinguished as
gallant young officer. When the civil war
began he was captain of artillery. He thre4
his fortunes with the South, and, by brave and
successful service. rose to the rank OF majof-
general He enjoyed an intimate acquaintance
with nearly all Of the leading spirits OF the Con-
federacy, and is we'll known to officers OF the old
army and of the confederate army In all parts
of the United States This is What he says
about the Confederate treasure in Epaland;
d
on steamer for Liverpool On board met
Judah P. Benjamin whom had known we'll for
a number of years During the voyage We con.
versed freely as to our plans for the future. We
had both rsked our all with the cause then lost
and the sympathy engeudered by our mutual
misfortune brought US much closer together than
we had been even In our hitherto intimate 40
quaintauee. l remember how sorry felt for
Mr.. Benjamin when he told me that he had
hardly dollar in the world that he was going
to London to enter the practice of the law, and
that be hoped to get along through the influence
Of some strong friends In England consid-
cred myself comparatively fortunate. was on
my way to accept salary Of 1000 year from
a large English commercial house. The 1rSt
news had on my landing at Liverpool was that
the house which made me the offer had failed.
] had other friends there, and found employ
ment.
sAbout one year after Mr. Benjamin and
arrived in ENGLAND. the great banking concern
of Owen & Guiley, of London, went down. II
in the money capital of the world. and its fan.
ure created great excitement When q stats.
ment Of its affairs was pubis1td I was surpfissd
to see sns Judah F. so ose dgs.ts
I could not understand how my poor
| sicompanion du VOYAGE had accumulated suHh :
| property within one year, and when met MIN
asked him about 1t. He told me that the failure
| of the bank was q terrible blow TO him. He
said he had, a short time before received largo
beQuest from one Heiiger, who had bssn confed.
| crate commercial agent at Nassau Bsnjamin
| always stuck to his Jewish race with admirable
fidelity, and through his influence Heiliger had
| been sent to Nassau to represent the confedsrst6
government. Benjamin told me that HefliEes
died without family. and left him his entit6
fortune.
'Mr. Collin McRae, of Mobile who had figured
in the confederate Congress, was sent to Emf
land during the war as financial agent of the
Confederacy. He was q man of decided ability
and had acquired large influence In London.
II knew there was money 60 the credit OF tho
| confederate States in London, and after we had
been there some time MIR. Benjamin told mo
that McRae had In his possession some EGO 900,
| which had come to him In his capacity
| as financial agent of the lost cause. He said that
| McRea had been to him to ask advice as to what
| he should do with this money, and that he had
| advised McRea to hold on to 1t for the present
| About this time John G. Breckenridge arrived In
England. A proposition was made to him BY
| Benjamin and McRea to join them and act as ad.
ministrator OF the effects Of the defunct govern.
| ment General Breckenridge promptly declined
| to do so, but did accept six months unpAld sal.
thousand aye hundred dollars Eaif years sals
ary, was Forwarded to Mr. Jefferson Davis, and
think all the members Of his tabfiet were paid
| 10 like proportion.
| Associated With McRae in the management
of our finances there was Mr.. Bullock, st Heof.
| gia who had teen largely instrnhehtAi IN the
| equipment of the Alabama Wheh the survi-
vors of that famous cruiser escaped into Eng
land after the fatal battle with the keafsafse,
| they were all paid in full. This was nearly :
year before the cessasion of hostilfies, but tho
| Shenandoah, which, under the command OF the
gallant Waddell, had beer playing havoc with
Yankee whalers and shippers in the Pacific, did
not arrive in an English port until six month";
after the collapse of the confedefaey McRae
paid off the offcers And the entire crew from
funds then in his hands But Ke Was very in.
different to the claims of tho confederate ofic6F1
| who were then In England, and who thought
thew were as much entitlaA tn a aharA i'm th{d
| money as anybody else had not drawn any.
| thing from the governments for year before
the close of the war. and presented my pay ac-
| counts to McRae. He said he would consult MI
Benjamin on my ease When saw him again
he said Mr.. BENJAMIN had advised him not Ia
pay me. finally got my money. but had 70
press McRae very hard for it. happened ia
know CT $40, 900 which had been turned ever I'd
him after the war was over.
"A man named Murrell. who had been en-
gagged in the manufacture of cotton in Arkansas
| before the war, was sent By Gen. Kirby Smith
to Europe with letters of credit for 500 600 to
had not aea5mfbIished his MISSION *heR tEe AZ
render came. and he deliveFed the monsY Ia hit
hands to McRae, ss bis superior financial agent
expenses in Europe, and to take him homo
don't know what became Of Murrell. With the
s ss02R hs s. Soa as d ys sna9 s..s &c
| increased Dy the $Sf 0O0 which unrreli turned
over to him, he must have had handsome bat
once after paying the officers and men Of 'sTke
Shenandoah" after sending the hAlf,yeafs e.!
airy to Mr. Davis and the mergbeEs Of his Qshi
net. and after paving the two Or thre6 eonfedsr.
ate officers in England who we're able TO gen
anything FROM him. What BECAME Of this
money cannot say. l know that befose McRae
returned to America he became q banker.
During the war Mr. Benjamin had sent d
man named Schultze, Mobile editor Of Jewish
extraction. to London, to establish an organ oil
the confederate cause. l hardly think Schultze
made fortune at that business
"a year or SO after the close of the war a bank
was opened with Offices in London and Buchaf-
est by McRea and Schultze. They conducted
business on rather grand scale for while and